India 294 for 7 (Gambhir 88, Tiwary 65, Dhoni 58, Malinga 3-64) beat Sri Lanka 274 (Thirimanne 77, Mendis 72, Irfan 5-61) by 20 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
It was a low-key series that was overshadowed by the Olympics, but it resulted in a dramatic change in the rankings as India climbed up to No. 2 after shutting out Sri Lanka 4-1. India seemed to have the final one-dayer in the bag after running up 294 and then reducing Sri Lanka to 102 for 5, but a spirited stand between the inexperienced Lahiru Thirimanne and Jeevan Mendis kept the visitors sweating till the end. Irfan Pathan more or less guaranteed the result in the 43rd over as he removed Mendis and Thisara Perera on his way to his second ODI five-for, capping a match in which he had already made an important contribution with the bat.
Full report to follow
50 overs India 294 for 7 (Gambhir 88, Tiwary 65, Dhoni 58, Malinga 3-64) v Sri Lanka
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There were half-centuries for Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni as India ran up 294 in the final one-dayer at Pallekele, but the most significant innings in the dead rubber could be Manoj Tiwary's 65. For the second match in a row, he turned in a solid performance, strengthening his credentials for a hotly contested spot in the Indian middle-order, most likely at the expense of Rohit Sharma.
Rohit, given a remarkably long rope by the team management, flopped for the fifth game in a row; his tally of 13 runs in the series is the lowest by a specialist India batsman in a five-match series and the chorus for his axing is only going to get louder.
Tiwary's debut was famously delayed by a shoulder injury in 2007, and he has had seven ODIs in the five years since. A match-winning century in another dead rubber last December only led to a long spell on the bench, but a four-for with some part-time leg spin in the previous match and a steadying 110-run partnership with Gambhir should earn him a few matches in the upcoming New Zealand series at home.
Tiwary was most assured against the spinners, repeatedly reverse-paddling offspinner Sachithra Senanayake. He looked on course for his second one-day century as he confidently launched Senanayake over mid-off for two fours in an over, but he perished in the next over to a Lasith Malinga bouncer.
For the second time in three games, Malinga began an over in the batting Powerplay with two wickets in two balls, as the in-form Suresh Raina fell for a golden duck and India slid to 197 for 5. But, as in the third ODI, Irfan Pathan showed off his improved batting, and gave the specialist batsman enough of the strike to take apart the Sri Lanka bowling. That day it had been Raina, today it was Dhoni, who has had little to do in this series as players above him in the order have repeatedly done the job for the side. Dhoni began by carving Malinga for consecutive boundaries through cover and a typically busy innings, interspersed with boundaries, helped India take 75 off the final 10 overs.
While Dhoni piloted India at the end, Gambhir did it at the start. Even as Ajinkya Rahane failed to grab his chance, Virat Kohli had a rare failure and Rohit's horror run extended, Gambhir was unperturbed. Once again, he managed to score at almost a run a ball without seeming to play any big hits as he made his way to his third fifty-plus score of the series. The footwork, as usual, was nimble, allowing him to place the ball for singles as he coasted to his half-century. The one moment of concern was in the 12th over when he was struck on the glove by a short ball from Malinga, needing some attention from the physio.
He was closing in on his seventh ODI hundred against Sri Lanka before he was done in by the extra bounce from Senanayake. India's strategy of playing extra batsman paid off this time, but with Virender Sehwag out injured Sri Lanka will be looking to capitalise on whoever fills the fifth bowler's quota.
Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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